Amit Shah sounds bugle for Bihar elections with jibe at Nitish - Times of India

BENGALURU: BJP has set its eyes on Bihar where assembly polls are due later this year with party chief Amit Shah targeting the Nitish Kumar government as "Jungle Raj -II".

In his opening speech at the party's national executive on Friday, Shah virtually spelt out the campaign line for the Bihar polls, the first challenge for BJP after the defeat in Delhi. Shah attacked erstwhile ally Nitish Kumar, who had a bitter parting of ways soon after BJP projected Narendra Modi as the prime ministerial candidate, calling the JD(U) government in the state as the return of 'Jungle Raj' that had 'prevailed during the RJD rule under Lalu Prasad and his wife Rabri Devi'. Shah exuded confidence that BJP will get full majority in the state.

Shah termed as 'betrayal of the mandate' the break-up of the JD(U)-BJP alliance in Bihar in July 2013 after the coalition government had a successful run for one and half terms by dislodging the RJD regime. "People had chosen the BJP-JD(U) alliance, but the JD(U) ditched the people's mandate by dumping BJP and jungle raj returned to the state," Union environment minister Prakash Javadekar quoted the BJP chief as having told the party delegates.

Shah's obvious attempt was to paint Nitish Kumar with the same brush as Lalu Prasad on the back of the two coming together to rival BJP in the elections.

Reacting to the "Jungle Raj-II" remark about Bihar, JD (U) alleged the description is apt for the situation across the country under the NDA rule.

"Rahul (Gandhi) ko dhundo (search Rahul) and Jungle Raj in Bihar...this is all jumlebazi. What they said worked during Lok Sabha election. But it will not work now," JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav told PTI in New Delhi.

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